Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This whole illustrated series has been amazing. Can’t wait to re-live it for the trials. 😍

Recommended: of course!!!
For anyone reading for the first for fiftieth time, for everyone because the power of the art is incredible in this, adding drama without taking away from imagination

Summary:
Harry Potter wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal – even by wizarding standards. And in this case, different can be deadly.

Thoughts:
It feels weird to review a Harry Potter book, because what could I possibly say that isn’t already widely known already? So instead of a focus on the plot so much, I’ll focus on the fact that this is the illustrated version. I knew this one would be a beast, since book four is significantly longer than the ones up to this point, and sure enough it took Jim Kay, the illustrator, two years to complete rather than the one year schedule I’d grown accustomed to. I know better than to rush him or grow impatient though, because what was delivered is incredible!

The details, and the mood coloring, are what really blow me away with all of these illustrated editions of the stories. There are several two-page spreads throughout it, and whenever I turn a page to see one, it’s amazing! It works well with the Goblet of Fire in particular, since you get the creatures and environments in the games created anew. Two images that stuck with me most are pretty much polar opposites: the first, of everyone at the Yule Ball and Hermione blowing everyone away looking amazing, and the second of Voldemort’s creepy cobbled together mutated-frankenstein-baby looking body before he gets his full body back. WOW was that gross, to the point where it was hard to look at, and yet I couldn’t look away! Masterfully done.

As for what I’ll say of the plot, this is a fantastic story because whether you read it at 13 years old or 30 years old or whatever, it works. You bring your life experiences into it to enrich the feelings and fear of the characters to match what you know and forge a strong connection to the story.